WA star heads to The Everest

Written by Kristen Manning

Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix

It may still be five months until the eighth running of The Everest takes place at Randwick but slot holders are already on the look-out for prospects and the first horse to hit the headlines for the 2024 edition is the exciting Western Australian Bustling (Frosted {USA}).

A home-bred for Neville and Susan Duncan's Oakland Park Stud, Bustling has tasted defeat only once in his five start career with his last three consecutive victories coming at stakes level - the Listed Perth S., the G2 Karrakatta Plate and the G3 WA Sires Produce S.

Those easy wins have caught the eye of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable with the latter telling The Thoroughbred Report that “probably a day doesn't go by where I am not looking a horse from somewhere around the world - trying to recruit new talent for the stable.”

You put the time in and do the research and 95 per cent of the time nothing comes of it but Bustling's owners were pleasingly keen to get something done.

Everest slot-holders Max Whitby, Neil Werrett and Col Madden who have purchased shares in Bustling. And whilst the Duncans have sold out, Bustling's first trainer Daniel Morton remains involved via his wife Carol.

“It is great that Daniel still has involvement,” Kent Jnr said “as nobody knows the horse better than him and he can guide us on his new journey.”

“Bustling is a very impressive horse with exceptional talent,” he continued, “and we are over the moon to have him in the stables. And The Everest is not the be all and end all - we are hoping that he will be the sort of horse to compete at the top level over a number of seasons.”

Bustling is a son of the former Darley shuttler Frosted whose son Ingratiating stands his first season at Oakland this spring, Neville Duncan hoping that Bustling can keep the breed in the headlines.

Bustling was chased rather than being on the market with Duncan excited to see what he can do in the east.

“When we sell we always hope that the horse can do even better for their new owners, we don't look back,” he said.

“We are really looking forward to seeing him achieve the goals his new owners have for him and we'd be over the moon should he win The Everest.”

Having raced a number of high class performers including the champion Northerly (Serheed {USA}), Duncan will always have a soft spot for Bustling who achieved more early in his career than any horse he has raced before.

“He absolutely blew them away in the Karrakatta Plate,” he said, “and Blake Shinn told us that he didn't let go of the brakes!”